The 8-year-old Anne Arundel County boy who was suspended for biting a pastry in to the shape of a gun received standing ovation and a lifetime membership to the National Rifle Association Wednesday night.

At a fundraiser for Anne Arundel County Republicans, House Minority Leader Nicholaus R. Kipke presented Josh Welch with the membership, which cost $550, during a tongue-in-cheek presentation that involved a Pop-Tart fashioned into pistol and gun safety tips.

Josh's March 1 suspension from Park Elementary School for chewing a pastry into the shape of a firearm captured national attention over how seriously students should be punished for such threats.

Josh, who was 7 at time he was suspended for two days, gave the NRA certificate to his parents at the Glen Burnie event and returned to playing games on a cellphone.

"Everyone keeps asking me why I did it," Josh said. "I don't know why I did it. ... I wish people would stop asking me about it. It'll probably go on for 45 years or something."

Josh said he didn't know what the NRA was or what it meant to have a membership, but chimed in when his parents were asked whether anyone else in his family belonged to the NRA.

"Nope, only me," he said.

An attorney has filed an appeal to expunge the suspension from Josh's record. Anne Arundel County schools spokesman Bob Mosier said Wednesday that he could not comment on the status of the appeal.

Josh also received an autographed photo of himself with David Keene, the immediate past president of the NRA and the keynote speaker at the fundraiser.

As much as I sometimes dislike the NRA's position at times, I kind of feel why they are doing it. It's pretty sad that the school took such a threat seriously and reacted with suspension. There are much better ways to deal with this kind of behavior that don't disrupt the student's learning, and can better enable them to determine if the child is a real threat, or if the child did it out of jest or simply by not knowing any better.

I think it was easy political points and PR for the NRA to cast the gun control crowd as overly PC, irrational people. I wouldn't say they're fighting the madness, they're taking advantage of it. I'm sure they'd love for these to happen more often, at least as much as until it starts wearing out.

It's interesting that America is so sensitive to guns that even child's play cannot be permissible. When I was in China, there was a kid on the subway trying to fold a paper gun. I made one for him. It's nice because I a) have some origami skill, and b) didn't feel guilty trying to do it. I could never get away with that where I live (or maybe I can, because most people are immigrants).

He definitely shouldn't have been suspended, but that begs the question what should have been done about it. I do think that this could've been managed as the classroom level. I'm not sure if taking him aside and speaking to him privately about it would be overdoing it or doing not enough. Kids are creative and energetic, so if you give them enough time they will make random things and I don't think that's bad at all, even if it happens to be a gun. I think the teacher should've spoken to him in private about not acting in this way for the sake of others who may be sensitive to the imagery of a gun.

1. Yes, this was a stupid overreaction by the school's part.
2. I don't see how this particular thing makes them crazy. There are plenty of other stupid things the NRA does, but this was just funny and cast them in a good light. That said, as a supporter of gun rights, I vehemently oppose the NRA on several issues, including their explanation for gun violence (they claim video games are the cause of gun violence, which is blatantly false and outright offensive to us fans, as dozens of well-received studies show a complete lack of correlation between the two topics).

This highlights the need for more training for teachers and staff in schools, which highlights the need for more money for schools to pay for training, which highlights how underfunded education is in America.

This highlights the need for more training for teachers and staff in schools, which highlights the need for more money for schools to pay for training, which highlights how underfunded education is in America.

I agree that education is underfunded in the United States, but I don't see this as an example of that.

We all here figured out that it was an unnecessary move and we didn't receive training.

I agree that education is underfunded in the United States, but I don't see this as an example of that.

We all here figured out that it was an unnecessary move and we didn't receive training.

We're also not all teachers who have a million and one other considerations. We also have hindsight and an overview of what happened that wouldn't necessarily happen in the moment. Schools are just chaotic and have lots of different people yelling to get their point across. Like, I'm sure there are parents who wanted to have zero-tolerance policies in place at the school, and teachers who wanted to have the authority to deal with problem kids, but then you have to go through lots of people (the teacher who saw what happened, the vice principle, etc.).

What I'm trying to say is that it's not as easy to figure out the right thing to do in the moment if you've got a chaotic situation or one that you've never dealt with before. Teachers are really overworked.

Or if you want to take the cynical side, you've got schools who can't afford to get better teachers, ones who aren't necessarily the most thoughtful. This might just be a case of a school that couldn't afford to take the best teachers and had to settle for some who were thoughtless and overly strict.

Josh, who was 7 at time he was suspended for two days, gave the NRA certificate to his parents at the Glen Burnie event and returned to playing games on a cellphone.

"Everyone keeps asking me why I did it," Josh said. "I don't know why I did it... I wish people would stop asking me about it. It'll probably go on for 45 years or something."

Poor kid, just wanted to play Angry Birds X(

Honestly, this is too much. It's okay to be sensitive to guns when there's been freak shooting outbreaks, but it's not like every child who accidentally references to guns is gonna grow up to be an insane murderer. Most kids at that age aren't even aware of issues with guns, let alone that they could get in ridiculous trouble for it by doing something simpleminded. America is so weird.

^
My thoughts exactly.
Not that long ago, little boys would be running around playing with toy guns, pretending to be cops, or western heros. (Read John Wayne)
Now of course, it's become such a big deal that first he's suspended, then given a free lifetime membership to something that he doesn't even understand.

Because the NRA is essentially the gun lobby, part of it being composed of gun manufacturers, etc, who use that money to influence (or at least try to) legislation and House Reps/Senators. People think the NRA is this grassroots, liberty-defending group of average blue collar white guys, when in reality it's just a dirty lobby group and gun manufacturers trying to make money and masquerading behind this mantle of defending the second amendment and civil rights. It is an elaborate charade, nothing more.

Because the NRA is essentially the gun lobby, part of it being composed of gun manufacturers, etc, who use that money to influence (or at least try to) legislation and House Reps/Senators. People think the NRA is this grassroots, liberty-defending group of average blue collar white guys, when in reality it's just a dirty lobby group and gun manufacturers trying to make money and masquerading behind this mantle of defending the second amendment and civil rights. It is an elaborate charade, nothing more.

Sadly this is true. I wish that there really was a group out there looking out for the second amendment and the others.

This is one of the most ridiculous things that I have ever heard. The kid should not have been in trouble in any sort of way. The very idea that he got reprimanded for such a simple action speaks ill of American education, and this school in particular. It was a PASTRY ffs. He ain't going to kill anyone with that. At least, not by shooting them... Their claim is entirely unfounded and I sincerely hope that the lawyer can get this expunged from the record. I don't think the school board was expecting this to blow up in their face like this, because based on everything I've been hearing, they seem pretty sheepish about the whole ordeal.

As for the NRA, well played on their half. They get to swoop in and "help" the poor kid who has been victimized by this school. They get major publicity and since the memberships themselves are inherently worthless, they did not lose anything, either. In this light, they are the nice guys who help the kid back to his feet and let him know that what he did wasn't wrong etc. They teach him a few things, make him feel special, and well, the public loves them for it. It is a despicable tactic, but if it works, it works.

In eighth grade, I got in trouble for bringing a laser pointer to school. The school phoned by parents like it was some huge crisis and my parents were dumbfounded. I think we all laughed about it on the car ride home.

In eighth grade, I got in trouble for bringing a laser pointer to school. The school phoned by parents like it was some huge crisis and my parents were dumbfounded. I think we all laughed about it on the car ride home.

Yeah, you get that in England as well though. Not a suspension or anything, but I've known parents called over laser pointers. They're more likely to be called over that than fighting, provided no blood is spilt.

A) Should he really have been suspended for something liek that?

No. It just plays right into the hands of the NRA, claiming about the Nth Amendment or whatever it is that they argue means more guns = safety, and taking away guns = Communism. (Sorry I'm not American, I don't know what number it is.

B) Need anymore proof that the NRA has totally lost it?

Yes. This perhaps the best publicity they can probably give themselves - to many conservative non-gun-owners they'll be seen as defending common sense etc.

No. It just plays right into the hands of the NRA, claiming about the Nth Amendment or whatever it is that they argue means more guns = safety, and taking away guns = Communism. (Sorry I'm not American, I don't know what number it is.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head. Literally. America's going to be the first to succumb to idiocracy, mark my words.

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